Blog Post

Holland Hines is no stranger to autism. Her 18-year-old daughter is autistic, and now she’s helping her 6-year-old son, Elias, who has autism and hyperlexia, navigate through school.

After her family moved to Arizona, Elias started backsliding. While Holland appreciates his teachers, she feels they weren’t able to give him the help he needed. Elias’s school day was cut back because he wasn’t able to manage during certain activities in the afternoon, and his emotional state became that of a 4-year-old, even though his reading ability is at a 6th-grade level. “He really loves school,” says Holland, and Arizona’s new education savings account program will give Elias the chance to be in a school that can meet his needs.

Holland has high hopes for how the savings account program will help Elias. “This is an opportunity for us to take that money and make it work for the individual children who need it the most.”